Table of Contents

1. What is LinkedIn – How is it different from other social media platforms.............................4

1.2 What is LinkedIn?.............................................................................................................4

1.3 Start of LinkedIn...............................................................................................................4

1.4 The difference of LinkedIn from other Social Networks..................................................4

2. Why LinkedIn is considered Most Useful?..............................................................................5

3. How to Create a LinkedIn Profile?...........................................................................................8

3.1 Step-By-Step: Crafting an Effective LinkedIn Profile......................................................8

4. How to Optimize Your Profile for Better Search Visibility...................................................12

5. Final Steps: Making a Memorable LinkedIn Profile..............................................................13

6. Common LinkedIn Pitfalls & How to Avoid Them...............................................................13

7. Features of LinkedIn Profile and their correct use.................................................................13

8. Importance of Profile Picture.................................................................................................17

8.1 Top mistakes on LinkedIn profile picture selection........................................................18

8.2 What makes a good profile photo?.................................................................................19

9. Importance of LinkedIn Background Image..........................................................................19

10. Keywords for LinkedIn Headline.......................................................................................22

10.2 How to find keywords for your profile.......................................................................22

11. How to get attention on LinkedIn.......................................................................................23

11.2 Have as complete a profile as possible........................................................................23

11.3 Fill in the job descriptions...........................................................................................23

11.4 Try to include a current position (even if you’re not working)...................................24

11.5 Have a keyword-rich headline.....................................................................................24

11.6 Add keyword-rich “functional descriptions” to your job titles...................................24

11.7 Use all 50 slots in the skills section.............................................................................24

1
 11.8 Pay attention to the organization name.......................................................................24

12. Writing an effective summary on LinkedIn........................................................................25

12.1 Write in First Person....................................................................................................25

12.2 Target Your Reader.....................................................................................................25

12.3 Opening three sentences..............................................................................................26

12.4 WRITE, Edit, Rewrite.................................................................................................26

12.5 Call to Action or Nice Conclusion..............................................................................26

12.6 Get Feedback before You Post-it...............................................................................27

13. Content posting strategy.....................................................................................................27

13.1 Blog Posts....................................................................................................................27

13.2 Industry News and Research.......................................................................................27

13.3 In-Depth How-To and List-Style Posts.......................................................................28

13.4 Quick Tips...................................................................................................................28

13.5 Photo Updates..............................................................................................................28

13.6 Company Updates.......................................................................................................28

13.7 What Not to Share on LinkedIn..................................................................................28

14. LinkedIn Timing Facts.......................................................................................................29

15. Whom should follow on LinkedIn......................................................................................29

15.1 Job Search Experts......................................................................................................29

15.2 Management Experts...................................................................................................30

15.3 Productivity Experts....................................................................................................30

15.4 Marketing Experts.......................................................................................................31

15.5 Personal Branding Experts..........................................................................................31

15.6 Other Notable Experts to Follow.................................................................................31

16 Creating Original Post for LinkedIn...................................................................................32

2
17 Cultivating network on LinkedIn........................................................................................33

16.1 Nurture Your Network................................................................................................35

18 Commenting, Liking and sharing of LinkedIn Posts..........................................................35

17.1 How Your LinkedIn Feed is Determined?.........................................................................35

16.2 LinkedIn Likes and Shares..........................................................................................35

19 Publish Articles on LinkedIn..............................................................................................37

16.3 Start on your home page..............................................................................................37

16.4 Give your article a headline.........................................................................................37

16.5 Find art for your article...............................................................................................37

16.6 Write your article.........................................................................................................38

16.7 Drop in subheads.........................................................................................................38

16.8 Edit your article...........................................................................................................38

16.9 Publish and socialize your article................................................................................38

16.10 Link your article to your profile..................................................................................39

20 LinkedIn premium accounts and their benefits..................................................................39

19.1 Free versus paid LinkedIn accounts............................................................................39

19.2 Types of Premium accounts........................................................................................40

20.1 Benefits of premium accounts.....................................................................................40

21 Mistakes to Avoid on LinkedIn..........................................................................................42

20.1 Don’t use canned invitations.............................................................................................42

21.2 Don’t spam..................................................................................................................43

21.3 Don’t confuse quantity with quality............................................................................43

3
1. What is LinkedIn – How is it different from other social media platforms
1.2 What is LinkedIn?

Like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and a dozen others, LinkedIn is a social network. And like
other social networks, it's maintained by a big tech company: Microsoft.

But dissimilar most social networks, LinkedIn is a professional networking website, aimed to

help people make business connections, share their experiences and resumes, and find
jobs. LinkedIn is a social network for the business community.

1.3 Start of LinkedIn

It is an American business and employment-oriented service that operates via websites and
mobile apps. Founded on December 28, 2002, and launched on May 5, 2003, it is mainly used
for professional networking, it is a place for professionals to connect with former and current
colleagues, increase their number of business connections, network within their industry, discuss
business ideas, hunt for jobs and look for new hires.

The profiles also contain options for including status updates that let people in a user's network
know what they're working on and when they might be traveling, or offer advice when needed.
There is also a feature that allows those not signed in to LinkedIn to outlook parts of the profile
the user supposes allowable.

1.4 The difference of LinkedIn from other Social Networks

LinkedIn is different than other social networking sites in that it's designed solely for
professional networking. As we said earlier, a LinkedIn profile page is essentially an online
résumé.

 You can't post photos (other than your profile photo).

 You can't host a blog.
 You can't embed your favorite YouTube videos or playfully "poke" your friends.
 You can't personalize the colors or layout of your profile page or search for "single
females, age 25-30" in your area.

4
Facebook and Twitter get a lot more media time than LinkedIn, but LinkedIn is unique in that it
actually serves a greater purpose. Connection on LinkedIn implies more than a casual
acquaintance. LinkedIn recommends that all connections be viewed as potential professional or
personal references. You should feel confident that all of your connections would give you a
positive recommendation to a future employer or a kind introduction to other members of their
network. Also, once someone becomes your connection, they'll have access to all of your other
connections. You don't want to connect with anyone who will embarrass or misrepresent you
with your other connections.

LinkedIn differs from its closest competition, Facebook, because Facebook is group-based while
LinkedIn is much more focused on the individual and his accomplishments. For example,
Facebook automatically assigns members to "networks" based on their physical location and
which college they attended. This is most likely a holdover from the days when Facebook was
only for college students.

LinkedIn has something called LinkedIn Groups, but the process of creating and joining a group
is more involved than Facebook or most other social networking sites. LinkedIn has a special
review panel that accepts new group requests only from professional organizations, alumni
groups, professional alumni organizations, industry conferences, and similar business-oriented
groups.

LinkedIn also operates using a different business model than most social networking sites. There
are some Google ads on LinkedIn, but no corporate sponsors or other commercial ads as of yet.

2. Why LinkedIn is considered Most Useful?

Did you know that LinkedIn, the professional social networking platform, has truly been around
longer than Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, and Instagram? But it's more important now than ever.

Why? Because it crowds more than 500 million professional profiles, which means nearly an
infinite supply of network connections and job opportunities. From looking for a new job to
maintaining your brand, LinkedIn is an important part of being a full-fledged professional in any
industry these days.

Here are some important reasons to create a LinkedIn profile:

5
  You can hit into its powerful job platform

LinkedIn is important for job seekers. You will find several reasons in this list, but let's start at
square one: You can search its robust job board and even apply to jobs through the networking
platform.

Search jobs by keywords and location. Even if you're not actively seeking new employment, you
can set job alerts based on your career interests to regularly receive email updates and stay in the
loop. You can also be sneaky about it. If you're connected with co-workers and managers, turn
on your “I'm interested” button, which will let recruiters know you're open to hearing about new
opportunities. LinkedIn will hide this open invitation from folks at your current company.

 Someone can build its own brand

Just like companies form their brands, you need to form your professional brand online. How do
you stand out from others in your industry? What makes you marketable? Why should someone
pay you six figures?

Personal websites are great for this, but they often come with extra costs — and hours and hours
of building and finessing. LinkedIn is a simple way to put your name on the professional map.
Upload a professional profile picture and write a powerful summary that emphasizes your
strengths and showcases your personality. When recruiters, employers, co-workers, and
managers peruse your profile, they should be able to gain a strong understanding of who you are
and what skills you bring to the table.

 It can help rank your name on Google

Probabilities are, if you apply to a job, one of the first things an employer will do is  Google your
name. Even emailing a new client could result in a Google sweep of your name.

If you have never Google’s yourself, now is the time. What pops up on the first page of the
results?

Here's why LinkedIn is important: Ranking on Google's main or first page can be hard, but
LinkedIn is a well-known and powerful network and Google's into it. Because of that, it's
typically easier to get your LinkedIn page to rank on Google versus your homemade website or

6
online portfolio. If your LinkedIn profile is the first thing a prospective employer will see, then
maybe it's time to get one ... or edit your existing one to stand out among the crowd.

 It maintains your Rolodex of contacts

Remember that awesome young professional you met at that conference three years ago? Or that
friend of a friend who was interested in freelancing for your company?

Honestly, probably not. Rather than stuffing their business cards in your desk drawer or adding
their email addresses to your outdated address book, add these folks on LinkedIn when you meet
them. Keep them in your connections so one day you can reconnect when the time's right.

 You can research companies and their employees

Sure, if you're applying for jobs you can access openings from other job boards; there are plenty
of those out there. However, LinkedIn offers other perks.

These days, many companies maintain their LinkedIn pages where they'll update company
information, share company news and insight, and showcase current employees. If the company
knows what it's doing, you should get a good, solid feel for its culture and its people to make
sure it's a fit for you before diving into the interview process or accepting a job.

 It can help you hit into industry news

Like other social networks, LinkedIn aggregates a timeline when you log in. There, you'll find
news updates from your connections, your groups, and your company. It's both fun and wise to
keep tabs on industry trends and reports.

 It provides an opportunity to network

We can't emphasize the importance of networking enough! LinkedIn is such an important

networking tool.

Even if you're an introvert and hate networking events, you can still foster meaningful LinkedIn
connections. Through LinkedIn, you can build a relationship with mutual connections, folks in
your field, and even your greatest role models.

 It’s packed with invaluable resources

7
LinkedIn assists you to enlarge your success by posing crucial connections and expertise. Need
to source staff? Want to resolve problems that can’t be solved by the people in your company?
Need to open doors with clients or partners? Need a service provider referral? Want to research
what the opposition is doing? Need to see who’s in a prospective client’s network? LinkedIn puts
all of these assets at your fingertips.

3. How to Create a LinkedIn Profile?

LinkedIn is the ultimate social network for business professionals who want to make
connections, stay in the loop with others in their field and keep reaching toward greater success
in their chosen professions. 80 percent of all LinkedIn users cite professional networking as one
of the keys to their career success. With more than 562 million users in the pool of LinkedIn
talent, it’s no surprise that 87 percent of all recruiters use the site as a powerful tool for finding
great job candidates.

That success begins with the professional and marketable LinkedIn profile. This guide provides
everything necessary to get started, including tips on creating a stellar profile, finding the right
connections, using the platform appropriately and making that profile stand out from the crowd.
Here’s how you can make the most of LinkedIn.

3.1 Step-By-Step: Crafting an Effective LinkedIn Profile

Everything on LinkedIn begins with the profile. There are many parts to creating a great one;
here’s how to do it, as well as some tips to keep in mind.

 Start with the Basics

When creating a profile, make sure the email address is one you often check; this is vital to
ensure receipt of connection requests, messages and more. Basic demographic information, such
as location, is self-explanatory. Be sure to add a phone number—the more ways a connection or
potential employer has to get in touch, the better! It’s also possible to begin adding contacts at
this early stage of the game by allowing LinkedIn to access your email contact list.

While filling out the demographic information, LinkedIn will ask about current employment
status. Those who are unemployed might consider using phrases like “currently looking for

8
employment opportunities” or “advertising students seeking challenging employment
opportunities.” This shows forward-thinking and optimism for the future.

 Choose Account Type

This is where you must choose between the Basic LinkedIn experience, which is free, or the
Premium option, which provides many more features but costs a fee. Within the Premium option,
there are several other options to choose from, including Professional, Jobseeker and more. Each
has a different price point and offers different benefits. Think about your intended use of
LinkedIn when choosing the account type that’s best for your situation; remember that each
offers a one-month free trial, so it’s possible to cancel if it turns out the first choice wasn’t the
best one.

 Add a Photo

When it comes to photos on LinkedIn, a professional is the name of the game. Add a
professional headshot or one that simply looks that way—sometimes even a photograph taken
with a smartphone is professional enough to use. However, there is reason to look toward
professional headshots first; those with a photo taken by a pro get 14 times more views than
those with a ho-hum pic. Use a photo that is at least 200x200 pixels; anything less and it will
appear distorted and blurry. Remember that those who add a high-quality photo to their profile
get 21 times more profile views and up to 36 times more messages than those who keep the
boilerplate look.

 Talk about Experience

For jobseekers, this is where the juice is—so make sure the experience listed reflects everything
you can do. You can import a resume, or you can choose to add each position manually. Many
will begin by importing a resume and then tweaking each position to add more content, optimize
with keywords and make it all more readable than the typical dry, bare-bones resume might be.
Always list the employment experience starting with the most current.

 Time for Skills!

Shoot for a bare minimum of five skills; the more listed, the better. You can currently add up to
50 skills. Those who have at least five skills on their profile are contacted 33 times more often by

9
recruiters and other LinkedIn members and receive 17 times more profile views. Make a point of
listing skills in the order of proficiency and expertise; those skills are used to connect job seekers
with recruiters and other connections, so it’s important to keep the most highly-honed skills front
and center.

 A Nod to Education

When including education, be sure to include all schools attended; this will allow for easier
connections with old classmates, alumni groups and the like. Besides, include any education that
wasn’t necessarily through a university or college, such as a corporate training seminar or a
certification earned through an organization or association related to your field.

 Summarize it All

Writing a summary can be tricky. Here are a few points to keep in mind when writing the best
possible summary to get the most attention:

 Don’t be afraid to show personality! A whopping 40 percent of recruiters will love a peek
into your attitude.
 Make sure it’s at least 40 words; this makes it more likely to show up in searches.
 Drop a note about specialties in there, as those keywords will show up in searches too.
 Talk about experience, but talk about your goals as well.
 The Headline Matters

The headline is what will show up right beside your name on LinkedIn, as well as results on
some search engines. It’s an excellent chance to make a great first impression, so say as much as
possible in only a few words. Make it snappy and interesting so connections want to click and
find out more. Weave in keywords if possible.

Here are a few examples:

 Civil Engineering Student, Graduating 2020 | CAD, Survey and Blueprint Expert
 Nuclear Engineering Professional |Lateral Opportunities Welcome
 Talent Acquisition Manager at Award-Winning Eco-Startup
 Add Additional Information

10
LinkedIn offers the opportunity to add a variety of interests to the profile, so go for it! Those
interests might catch the eye of a recruiter. Keep in mind that hobbies can sometimes translate
into skills that are excellent in a working environment; for example, a hobby of building model
planes translates into intense attention to detail, or an obsession with woodworking translates
into taking the time to get a job done right the first time.

 Double-Check, Edit and Check Again

Now that the profile is almost complete, go back and double-check everything. Make sure the
dates of employment and education are correct. Look for grammar mistakes and typos a glaring
typo can pull attention away from the message. Use professional language at all times. At the
“view profile as” function, toggle between “public view” and “personal connections” to see what
appears for each segment.

Finally, perhaps drop the summary and any other paragraphs throughout the profile into an
online checker, such as Hemingway or Grammarly, to review anything you might have missed.

 Ask Someone to Look it over

One set of eyes isn’t enough. Ask friends to take a look at the profile to make sure it’s appealing
and includes everything pertinent.

College students can talk to their career services center to get help with this; professionals can
turn to colleagues or professional services to ensure they’re on the right track.

 Create a Personalized URL

A personalized URL makes it much easier for others to find you. Those with a common name
might discover that their particular URL is already taken; however, adding a location or numbers
behind the name can be a good alternative. To do this, click the “gear” next to the public profile
link, then click the penciled message next to the URL. The personalized URL must be between
five and 30 characters.

 Start Building a Network

Now it’s time to start making connections!

11
“LinkedIn is all about professional connections,” said Kristen Wheaton, a professor at Mercy
Hurst University who educates students on how to use the service. “New users should connect to
anyone that they know and anyone with whom they have a professional connection. 

This includes professors, recruiters, friends of the family, people in your industry basically
anyone.”

 Update Regularly

Using LinkedIn regularly is recommended, as this helps keep you in the loop with colleagues and
happenings in the field. Go back once a week or so to check out messages, respond to requests
for recommendations, make endorsements, comment on articles, send a congratulatory note or
update your profile if new things have been happening.

 Post Content

Finally, don’t forget to start posting content. Keep the content to things that are pertinent to your
fields, such as interesting articles, fun statistics or compelling innovations.

Start a blog if you feel you can keep up with it regularly. Just make sure any content posted is as
professional as possible.

4. How to Optimize Your Profile for Better Search Visibility

All web content is driven by Search Engine Optimization, also known as SEO. Though the
intricacies of SEO can be difficult to understand, what matters to those creating a good LinkedIn
profile boils down to one aspect of SEO: keywords.

 What are the keywords?

Keywords are certain terms that are of great significance within a certain context. For example,
someone who has a computer science degree might optimize their profile by using keywords that
focus on computers, such as “programming” or “software” or “coding.” Someone with a degree
in nursing might focus on “medical” or “healthcare” or “patient care.”

 What can keywords do?

Keywords will make a profile appear higher in searches.

12
That’s important many job recruiters look for specific keywords when seeking out applicants for
jobs. They might rely on applicant tracking systems, which in turn rely heavily on keywords
specific to a particular industry.

The tracking system will look at the skills and experience listed in a person’s profile; those with
the appropriate keywords will rank higher on the list that the recruiter will eventually see.

 How should I use keywords?

Keywords should be used judiciously throughout the profile but this is a case where a little goes
a long way. Carefully placed keywords at the beginning, middle, and end of a profile are great.
Try not to use exact keywords more than three or four times for every 500 words. It’s also
important to use similar keywords in addition to the exact keyword. For instance, if a good exact
keyword is “leadership” related keywords might include “management” or “team leader” or
simply “leader.”

5. Final Steps: Making a Memorable LinkedIn Profile

With so many people on LinkedIn, all trying to get noticed for career advancement, job
prospects, building connections and more, how can a person stand out from the crowd? Here are
a few tips.

 Making Your Profile Stand Out

By following all these tips, you’ve already got a great profile. Now add that little something
extra to push it over the top. Here are a few ways to do so.

 Add a video to your profile.

 Add publications.
 Create a portfolio.

6. Common LinkedIn Pitfalls & How to Avoid Them

It’s important to know what to do to make the profile stand out, but it’s equally important to
know what NOT to do. Here are some common pitfalls to avoid.

 Treating LinkedIn like other social media.

13
  Skipping the personalization.
 Not spending enough time on the site
 Not following up

7. Features of LinkedIn Profile and their correct use

LinkedIn is the social media website you don’t pay much consideration until you want it to find
your next job. Hate it or love it, the popular professional networking podium remains a top
resource for job seekers and recruiters similarly. Step up your job search by recognizing why
your LinkedIn profile is failing you and how you can apply the latest LinkedIn features to
alternate your job hunt outcome on the social platform.

When LinkedIn debuted in 2003, it was merely an online resume and an entree to e-networking.
Since then, LinkedIn has continuously enhanced its offerings – transforming into a complete
career management resource. Our mindset about how to use LinkedIn, however, has not evolved
as quickly as the product. If you haven’t changed your approach to LinkedIn, you’re missing out
on some of the biggest benefits.

Here are some things that you can do to make the most of that potential. Some of them are very
quick wins, some of them may take a little bit of time – but all of them are very worthwhile.
They will help to give you the profile on LinkedIn that you deserve.

 Choose the right profile picture for LinkedIn

Your profile picture is your business card on LinkedIn it’s how people are introduced to you and
it administers their impressions from the start. Some countless posts are explaining how to pick
the right profile picture on LinkedIn but here are some quick tips to start with: make sure the
picture is recent and looks like you, make sure your face takes up around 60% of it (long-
distance shots don’t stand out), wear what you would like to wear to work, and smile with your
eyes!

 Add a background photo

Your background photo is the second visual element at the top of your profile page. It grabs
people’s attention, sets the context and shows a little more about what matters to you. More than

14
anything, the right background photo helps your page stand out, engage attention and stay
memorable

 Make your headline more than just a job title

No rule says the description at the top of your profile page has to be just a job title. Use the
headline field to say a bit more about how you see your role, why you do what you do, and what
makes you tick.

 Turn your summary into your story

The first thing to say about your LinkedIn summary is – make sure you have one! It is amazing
how many people still leave this field blank when creating their LinkedIn profile. Your summary
is your chance to tell your own story – so don’t just use it to list your skills or the job titles you
have had. Try to bring to life why those skills matter – and the difference they can make to the
people you work with.

 Declare war on buzzwords

Every January, LinkedIn releases a ranking of the Top Ten most over-used buzzwords on
LinkedIn profiles. These are adjectives that are used so often in LinkedIn headlines and
summaries that they become almost completely meaningless. The top ten words list of 2017
included ‘specialized’, ‘leadership’, ‘focused’, ‘strategic’, ‘experienced’, ‘passionate’, ‘expert’,
‘creative’, ‘innovative’ and ‘certified’. Now I’m not saying you can’t describe yourself as these
things – or that they don’t matter. However, just using these words won’t convince people that
you have these qualities. You need to demonstrate them as well – both in the way you describe
yourself and in the way you use LinkedIn profile features to show what you’re about.

 Grow your network

One of the easiest and yet most relevant ways to grow your LinkedIn network is to synch your
profile with your email address book. This enables LinkedIn to suggest people you could connect
with. It’s amazing how effective this can be at surfacing relevant people for you to reach out to –
and no connection requests are sent without your permission, so you can vet all of the potential
connections. Beyond this, get into the habit of following up meetings and conversations with
LinkedIn connection requests – it’s a great way of keeping your network vibrant and up to date.

15
  List all of your relevant skills

It’s one of the quickest of quick wins on LinkedIn – scroll through the list of skills and identify
all of those that are relevant to you. Doing so helps to substantiate the description in your
Headline and Summary, and provides a platform for others to endorse you. However, the key
here is staying relevant. A long list of skills that do not core to who you are and what you do, can
start to feel unwieldy. Take time for a spring clean of your skills to list now and then.

 Spread the endorsement love

Endorsements from other members substantiate your skills and increase your credibility. How do
you get endorsed on LinkedIn? For starters, go through your network and identify connections
who you feel genuinely deserve an endorsement from you – that’s often the trigger for people to
return the favor. Don’t be afraid to reach out with a polite message asking for endorsement for a
few key skills as well.

 Request recommendations

Endorsements give people viewing your profile a quick, visual sense of what you’re valued for.
Recommendations take things a step further. They are personal testimonials written to illustrate
the experience of working with you. There’s a handy drop-down menu in the Recommendations
section of your profile that makes it easy to reach out to specific contacts and request
recommendations. Take the time to think about who you would most value a recommendation
from and personalize your request. It’s worth the extra effort.

 Share media and marketing collateral

The marketing collateral that you produce for your business can add an extra element to your
profile as well. Sharing case studies, white papers and other brand content helps to show what
the business you work for is all about and helps people understand what makes you tick. It
exposes passion and commitment as well.

 Get credit for your thought-leadership with Publications

The Publications section is one of the most under-used elements in LinkedIn profiles – and that
means that you can stand out from the crowd when you use this feature to draw attention to

16
existing thought-leadership content. Have you helped to write an eBook or a White Paper? Or
write a post on your company’s blog? The Publications section links your profile to these assets.

 Share relevant content from your LinkedIn feed

It’s one thing to have a network of connections on LinkedIn – it’s far better to have an active role
in that network, appearing in your connections’ LinkedIn feeds in a way that adds value for
them. Sharing relevant content with your network is one of the most accessible ways of doing
this. You can make a start by keeping a close eye on your LinkedIn feed, and sharing content that
you find genuinely interesting – and that aligns with your point of view.

 Add comments

Sharing is great – but it’s just the starting point. When you add comments to your shares, you
give yourself greater prominence within the feed and start to express why you think a particular
piece of content matters. Well-expressed comments also enable you to share a broader range of
content. It might be that you don’t agree with a point of view but still find it interesting, for
example. A comment that can express that viewpoint starts to establish your opinion and
thought-leadership. It’s also more likely to draw additional comments, which then raise your
profile across LinkedIn. Bear this mind when you’re writing your comment – and make sure
you’re saying something you’re happy for people to associate with you.

 Follow relevant influencers for your industry

Following relevant influencers on LinkedIn helps to put a range of interesting content in your
feed, which you can then share with others when you think it adds value. It also helps to give
context to your LinkedIn profile, demonstrating your passion for what you do.

 Publish long-form content – and use it to start conversations

The more you share and comment on content, the more you establish your expertise and thought-
leadership credentials on LinkedIn. Publishing long-form posts are the natural next step to take.
A great starting point is to monitor the response that you get to your comments and shares. Are
there particular subjects and points of view that seem to resonate with your network? Are there
comments that you have shared which you feel you could expand on in a post? Evolving your
thought-leadership in this way keeps it real – and keeps you plugged into the issues your

17
connections are talking about. Be ready for your long-form posts to start new conversations too.
Keep an eye on the comments and be ready to respond.

8. Importance of Profile Picture

Putting up a good picture of yourself matters very much on LinkedIn.

The human brain is naturally resistant against expending much of its energy and processing
capacity. Unless it is needed.

The brain relies on shortcuts to complete an activity rather than working overtime. Hence first
impressions matter a lot. More than you think.

On LinkedIn, a person is judged by their picture, their profile, what they publish and their
comments (interactions) with others.

When you comment on articles or write other people a message, your profile photo appears next
to your name. When you first write someone a direct message, the person replying to you would
see your photo too! Also, If you think someone is likable (from a picture!), you’re more likely to
be friendly, which raises the likelihood of positive interaction. Similarly, if you deem someone to
be unlikable or perhaps rude, you may be more careful and guarded, which can lead to a negative
interaction.

 A picture speaks 1000 words

 Connection acceptance criteria

It’s not rocket science. Review your profile picture.

 Do you look approachable?

 Do you look professional?
 Are you recognizable from your picture?

8.1 Top mistakes on LinkedIn profile picture selection

Top mistakes people make with their chosen profile picture.

 No picture
 Animal photo

18
 Logo
 Far away photo
 Blurry photo
 Family photo
 Grumpy looking photo
 Photo from 10 years ago
 Looks like you just got out of bed

8.2 What makes a good profile photo?

 Choose a photo that looks like you.

 Wear clothes that you would wear when you go to networking or when you meet clients for
the first time.
 Have a pleasant expression that makes people want to talk to you.
 Your face should take up at least 60% of the frame. So it is close and your face is visible.
 No distracting background — ensure you are the spotlight

To increase your opportunities to grow a valuable network on LinkedIn,

Keep in mind, you’ll never get a second chance to form the first impression.

9. Importance of LinkedIn Background Image

You probably already know that a professional profile picture is an absolute necessity for your
LinkedIn account. But that’s not the only picture people will see when they check out your
profile. There’s also your LinkedIn background photo.

The background photo is a relatively new thing on LinkedIn; it’s only been around for a few
years. And it might not seem all that important. But choosing the right background photo
can give your LinkedIn profile a big boost. You can no longer choose from a default list, so
you’ll need to provide your own. Thankfully, we’re here to help with a set of tips to help you
choose the perfect LinkedIn background photo

i. Use the Correct LinkedIn Background Photo Size

19
Your LinkedIn background photo needs to be the right size, or you’re going to end up with weird
proportions or cropping. The official size of the LinkedIn background photo is 1584×396 pixels.

Not all of that space is usable, however. Much of it gets cropped out on smaller screens—if
someone is using the LinkedIn app or mobile site, they’re not going to see much of your photo.
And some of it is covered by your profile photo.

ii. Decide What You Want Your Background Photo to Do

What purpose do you want your LinkedIn cover photo to serve? For example, it could be an
extension of your company or personal branding, like Dave Grow’s background photo:

Using his company’s colors, name, and logo associates him with the brand.

You could also use a phrase or a few words that channel what you want your visitors to think of
when they come to your page as I’ve done here:

20
 iii. Use a LinkedIn Background Photo Generator

Unless you have some graphic design skills, it’s a good idea to use a LinkedIn cover photo
generator. You’ll get a professional-looking image. There are plenty of free services that will
help you create a cover photo. Canva is one of the most well-known.

It has a ton of free LinkedIn background templates that you can use to create one for your
profile. Here’s one that I made for myself in just a couple of minutes:

iv. Download Free LinkedIn Background Images

If you don’t want to customize your cover photo, upload a photo that will complement your
profile’s theme. For example, a software engineer might choose something code-related. An
artist could use something artsy. A manager might choose a photo that evokes the idea of growth.

Fortunately, there are plenty of places where you can browse and download free LinkedIn
background photos.

21
 v. Choose a Creative Background Photo to Stand Out

LinkedIn profiles usually look pretty similar to one another; they’re text-based, so you can’t add
a whole lot of visual flare. But your background photo can set you apart if it’s creative. But how
do you choose a creative LinkedIn background photo? The best way to see what other people are
doing (so you can avoid it) is to look up people with similar roles.

Head to your LinkedIn profile, then look for the “People Also Viewed” section on the right-hand
side. Take a look at those profiles and their cover photos. See if they’re using text-based calls to
action, custom graphics, simple photos, or the default LinkedIn background photo.

vi. The Best LinkedIn Background Photo for You

In the end, choosing the best background photo for your LinkedIn profile comes down to you
personally. What do you want people to think of when they visit your LinkedIn profile? How do
you want to stand out? What are you trying to accomplish on LinkedIn?

It’s easy to put up the first abstract background photo that you come across. But it’s better to take
the time to figure out what it is you want from your background photo and then choose or create
the perfect one for your profile.

10. Keywords for LinkedIn Headline

Companies or business prospects are possibly searching on LinkedIn for someone like you. The
only best way to confirm you'll show up in their searches, and stand out from competitors, is to
have the accurate profile "keywords." These are the words or phrases that boom. They are used
in search inquiries, and answer your target audience's main question: “How can you help me?”

Profile keywords have benefits other than boosting your LinkedIn search ranking. Since search
engines like Google and Bing index LinkedIn profiles, having a keyword-rich profile will
support you to appear up in these searches as well.

Having the correct keywords in your profile also significantly magnifies the effectiveness of
other activities you can take to enhance your visibility. These actions contain joining the right
groups, building your network strategically, showing the organizations where you worked, and
maintaining an active presence through updates.

22
10.2 How to find keywords for your profile

i. Put yourself in your objective audience's place, and visualize the keywords they are using
to search someone like you to fill a business need. For example, if you’re going for a
finance director position, an employer might type in “finance director” to find someone
with your skills and experience.
ii. Try searching within your network using the most likely keywords your target audience
is using (“event planning,” “finance director,” etc.). Look at the profiles of people who
come up at the top of these search results to get additional keyword ideas.
iii. If you’re a job seeker, check out job postings on LinkedIn, not to apply, but to see what
words and phrases the postings use. Then use those keywords in your profile.
iv. If you represent a business, check out the LinkedIn company pages of competitors. And
while you’re at it, check out their websites as well.
v. Follow thought leaders in your sector to see what words and phrases are in vogue right
now. You can follow anyone on LinkedIn and receive their updates in your home page
feed by just clicking the “Follow” button on their profile. Or, look for prominent
influencers by clicking the three dots on the top right of any home-page feed post and
clicking on “improve my feed.”

11. How to get attention on LinkedIn

Once you search the keywords you need to use, be careful not to “keyword-stuff” in an obvious
way. You will turn viewers off, and LinkedIn may even flag your profile for spam, thus
eliminating it from search results. Instead, scatter the keywords throughout your profile in a more
normal way, and follow the guidelines. 

11.2 Have as complete a profile as possible

LinkedIn provides you suggestions for adding sections to your profile. Take those whenever
possible, since adding these sections rises the opportunity for you to practice keywords that will
help you to be found. For example, people commonly leave out the Summary Section. This is a
mistake. Make it a great, keyword-rich pitch for how you can help organizations or individuals.

23
11.3 Fill in the job descriptions

Too many profiles leave these descriptions blank. The result is a missed opportunity to add more
keywords and advance your likelihood of being found. You are also losing a chance to make a
great imprint with accomplishment-oriented bullets.

11.4 Try to include a current position (even if you’re not working)

Recruiters that use LinkedIn’s premium LinkedIn Recruiter platform often conduct searches
based on the current job title field. If you have no current job title (with the appropriate
keywords), you won’t show up in their results. So try to add a current role, even if you’re not
working. For example, add experience that you weren’t paid for, e.g. a leadership role at an
association, or helping friends and family for free (i.e. "consulting"). If you’re out of work but
have taken courses, make your “job” the courses you’ve taken (job title “Continuing
Education”).

11.5 Have a keyword-rich headline

The headline (right below your picture) is a major factor in LinkedIn’s search algorithm. It’s also
a prominent highlighted element in search results, and you want your profile to be the one that’s
clicked on among all the other profiles that show up. So use as many of the available 120
characters as possible, and make your headline keyword-rich.

11.6 Add keyword-rich “functional descriptions” to your job titles

Add a few keywords to your job-title that describe what you did. For example, “Vice President –
Project Management, Agile, and Six Sigma” is much better than just "Vice President," assuming
you’re looking for a project manager role.

11.7 Use all 50 slots in the skills section

LinkedIn allows you to add up to 50 skills. Try to use all those slots, adding every permutation of
a skill on which someone might search. For example, if you’re going for a Marketing Director
position, add “Marketing," “Marketing Management,” “Marketing Strategy,” and so forth in
addition to all the other skills you want to showcase. Adding these will simply improve your
odds of being found.

24
11.8 Pay attention to the organization name

If you like to spell the organization at which you worked differently than the way LinkedIn
recognizes it, defer to LinkedIn’s spelling. That’s because LinkedIn will have you show up in
more searches if it recognizes the company, especially if people are searching by company.
You’ll know if you’ve entered the company name correctly if the company logo shows up on
your profile (unless the organization hasn't yet set up a LinkedIn company page).

12. Writing an effective summary on LinkedIn

The trickiest part of creating your LinkedIn profile is writing your Summary. It is just not copied
off your resume. No, it is much harder than this.

Let’s take this writing plan step-by-step to make it easier for you to produce a more effective
Summary.

12.1 Write in First Person

Different from what you may have ended in the past, Summaries are no longer advertisements
written like they came off a press release, a job description or a resume. That is the first
challenge as writing in the first person means you are writing about yourself. Displaying your
personality. Talking about you using “I.” Many people spoil this part of their profile as a
biography, but that is a blunder. To be effective, you need to write it more like a self-marketing
pitch but keep it honest.

12.2 Target Your Reader

Think about this section as if you were having a conversation with a colleague, a recruiter or a
prospective client. How would you talk to them and introduce yourself? What would you want
them to know? What would be the important points they should be told about you, your skills,
accomplishments or unique talents? You want to have your personality come out here too. Hiring
managers and recruiters are looking at prospective fits and so you want to be authentic and as
real as possible. Here’s how to know the audience, for example:

 Recruiters are searching for good-fit candidates

25
  Prospective clients are considering your background and expertise
 Executives should be representing your company well and looking like an impressive
leader in your field
 Everyone else must look decent to colleagues and whoever comes to check you out

12.3 Opening three sentences

It must be immediately clear to any reader what value you offer. So that means it’s easily
discernible to the recruiter, prospective client, another colleague or even your boss. They want to
know who you are and what is unique about you and they want to know that quickly in a friendly
voice. So your Summary needs to include mixing in your credentials with your
accomplishments. It tells the world who you are and advertises your strengths. The first three
Summary sentences follow you when you post on LinkedIn. It’s all someone sees when they read
the Summary as they come to your profile page.

12.4 WRITE, Edit, Rewrite

Start out breaking this assignment into a few pieces.  First, write out what are the top three
selling points that you want people to know about you on LinkedIn. Outline your most
significant professional accomplishments. What makes you stand out from others in your field?
This can be one or two things. You have the Experience section to note the major aspects of your
work, this Summary is to just highlight a few things. Now try to write down a couple of things
about your personality. What is it about you that you want others to know? Then leave it alone
for one day. Go back and read it when it’s cold. Edit it and rewrite it. Polish it up.

12.5 Call to Action or Nice Conclusion

Now you need to write the ending. This needs to have the next action step you want the person to
take. 

 Job hunter
I’m currently open to a new job opportunity, so if you have something that might fit
email me at: put your email in the Summary.
 Consultant or Business

26
 You can use a client quote or testimonial and then say send me an email paste in your
email or call me list # to discuss how I can help you with XXX whatever it is you do.
 Professional/Everyone One Else.
If there is a nice quote from a boss or colleague about you use it here as it’s a nice way to
end. But if not, say something about why you like your work and end with that.

12.6 Get Feedback before You Post-it

Be certain to have at least two to three people read over your summary and provide you feedback
before you post it online. If you are a professional not looking for a job your boss might be
perfect. If you are a job stalker, get a coworker who identifies your industry to offer you their
insight. After you make twists based on their input, post the summary.

13. Content posting strategy

LinkedIn is a widespread, business-to-business (B2B) social networking station for

professionals. Over 1 million publishers add more than 130,000 posts a week. About 45% of
readers are company managers, VPs, CEOs, or other senior management.

LinkedIn is an outstanding platform to shape an engaged audience and a reputation as a thought

leader in your industry. It’s also an opportunity to share your company culture with potential new
customers and recruits. The social channel is distinct because of its business-to-business (B2B)
nature. LinkedIn’s emphasis on business often leaves newcomers unsure of how to post and
interact on the platform.

Here are some ideas about the content you can share on LinkedIn.

13.1 Blog Posts

Sharing blog posts on LinkedIn is a great way to upsurge your reach, form brand awareness, and
spark engagement. When sharing blog content to LinkedIn, be sure to:

 Introduce the post with a personal comment.

 Shorten the URL with Bitly or a similar app.
 Check to be sure the thumbnail looks great.

27
13.2 Industry News and Research

LinkedIn is a business-to-business platform whose users are actively looking for content related
to their industry. This makes it an ideal platform for sharing research-based case studies, reports,
and whitepapers. LinkedIn users are often looking for industry updates and news. By sharing
them, your business’s LinkedIn page can become a go-to source for that information.

13.3 In-Depth How-To and List-Style Posts

Publishing content directly to LinkedIn bypasses your blog and website but offers more visibility
on the social channel. Consider publishing how-to and list-style posts exclusively on LinkedIn.

According to a recent study, LinkedIn posts between 1,900 and 2,000 words in length perform
best and gain the greatest number of views, likes, comments, and shares.

13.4 Quick Tips

Simple posts that include leadership tips and tricks do well on LinkedIn. Since it’s a professional
network, keep your topics to subjects that encourage productivity, leadership, and professional
success. Another way to approach this style of the update is by offering a simple text quote that’s
appropriate for your audience.

13.5 Photo Updates

Sharing a photo is a great way to show off your company’s personality. Attractive and
compelling photos taken at business events or your offices can gain a lot of attention on
LinkedIn. Posting photos of your company’s employees and activities add a human element to
your LinkedIn posts.

13.6 Company Updates

If you can find a way to make company news visual and interesting, then it’s a great fit for
LinkedIn.

13.7 What Not to Share on LinkedIn

A recent study proposes that there are two sorts of posts that do not do fit on LinkedIn:

28
 i. Anything with a headline that poses a question
ii. Videos

This may be counter-intuitive to our understanding of what motivates people to involve with
content, but every social channel partakes its personality.

14.LinkedIn Timing Facts

Business networking varies from more common social networking, thus it shouldn't arise as a
wonder that the best time to post on LinkedIn is Tuesday through Thursday. Numerous people
choose using Mondays to set up their week offline and/or improve from work-oriented or
business travel from the previous weekend. Generally, most people are busy on a Monday so this
may not be a perfect time to try to create a new connection, get a response, or have somebody
see a piece of content you may have posted.

Conversely, entrepreneurs may cut back on social media time on Fridays to make for either
family activities or the next business trip making this also a less than perfect time to make initial
contact with someone. Couple that with a weekend and the Monday frenzy and you could get
completely lost in the shuffle.

Online businesses are increasingly 24/7 with a global manifestation, but the following time zone-
independent observations about LinkedIn have been noted:

 Most clicks and shares: Tuesdays, 11 AM-12 PM.

 The worst time for LinkedIn: Sleeping hours (10 PM-6 AM) directly before Monday and
after Friday night.
 Best Times to post 7-8 AM; 5-6 PM.
 The peak time of usage through an average day: 12 PM; 5-6 PM.

15. Whom should follow on LinkedIn

LinkedIn is an outstanding platform to network with countless people to help you in your career
and businesses. However, with over 575 million people on the site, who should you follow? This
list will steer you to the right people to follow, organized by categories of expertise.

29
15.1 Job Search Experts

You will likely have several jobs throughout your career, and you will constantly need advice on
new trends and strategies out there in the job market. Here are the LinkedIn experts who you
should follow on these matters.

 Liz Ryan is the CEO and founder of Human Workplace. Her articles on job searching are
filled with creative and colorful cartoons.
 Lou Adler is the author of The Essential Guide for Hiring and Getting Hired.
 Dr. Marla Gottschalk will help you make an impact in a new job.
 Hannah Morgan runs CareerSherpa.net, where she gives expert advice on job searching
and how to be more visible online.
 Alison Doyle is the CEO and Founder of CareerToolBelt.com.

15.2 Management Experts

They say that people leave managers, not jobs. These experts in LinkedIn will help you become
your employees’ dream manager.

 Jeff Weiner How can we leave out the CEO of LinkedIn himself?
 Nozomi Morgan is an executive coach. She can help you transition from a boss to a
true leader.
 Mickey Mikitani is the CEO of Rakuten. He constantly shares his expertise in managing
a global player in e-commerce platforms.
 Andreas von der Heydt was the head of Amazon’s Kindle Content and now the Director
of Talent Acquisition. He has extensive experience in management, branding, and
marketing.

15.3 Productivity Experts

By maximizing your productivity, you can win in all aspects of life. The following LinkedIn
experts will help you win big in your career.

 Gretchen Rubin is a happiness coach and the bestselling author of The Happiness Project.

30
  Carson Tate is the founder of Working Simply. She advises us to include play in our
schedules.
 Greg Mckeown is an essentialist. Part of being an essentialist is saying no to many things
so that we can focus on the things that matter.
 Brian de Haaff, CEO of Aha! Labs Inc. provides strategies on how to be
productive and happy at work at the same time.

15.4 Marketing Experts

 Sujan Patel is VP of Marketing at When I Work, an employee scheduling software. He is
an expert in content marketing and he even shares his ideas on content marketing in 2020.
 Megan Berry is the Head of Product Development at Rebelmouse, a content marketing,
and AlwaysOn powerhouse.
 Sean Gardner will help you navigate the social media landscape. This includes how to
use different platforms to help accelerate your career. He is also the bestselling author
of The Road to Social Media Success.

15.5 Personal Branding Experts

Here are some personal branding experts from LinkedIn to improve your brand.

 Dorie Clark is the author of Stand Out and Reinventing You. He can help you craft the
professional image you’ve always wanted.
 Dan Schawbel is the managing partner of Millennial Branding. If you’re a millennial, Dan is
the guy to help you craft your brand.

15.6 Other Notable Experts to Follow

Lisa Gates is the expert to follow if you’re negotiating for higher salaries and promotions.

 If you’re a Baby Boomer, Marc Miller will help you navigate the continually changing
landscape of the workplace.
 To avoid getting your resumé moved to the “No” pile, read Paul Freiberger’s excellent
advice.
 James Caan provides insightful ideas on careers in general. He is also a serial entrepreneur.
 Jeff Haden writes on various topics, such as leadership and management. He is the owner of
Blackbird Media.

31
 If you’re looking for expert business advice on getting new customers and keeping them,
follow Jay Baer.
 Suzanne Lucas, aka Evil HR Lady, is a great human resources specialist.
 If you need help in using Twitter to boost your career, Claire Diaz-Ortiz can guide you in the
right direction.

16. Creating Original Post for LinkedIn

Certain people see LinkedIn as a job chasing site. For others, it’s merely social media they can
browse at work. Often, LinkedIn is just seen as digital business card substitution, but it can be so
much more than that!

LinkedIn has opened the conduits to a universe of substance with their new distributing stage and
it's an astounding method to open your composition to an exceptionally proficient system of
users. Top influencers are as of now distributed on LinkedIn, so individuals are searching out
substance on the stage to peruse. This can't be said about your ordinary Word Press blog.
Regardless of its amazing substance showcasing potential, The LinkedIn Publishing Platform is
still new and understanding what causes a post on the stage to perform well is moderately
obscure.

If you are looking for creative and strategic ways you can use the content on LinkedIn, here you
will get some simple content ideas to help make you a LinkedIn star.

i. Make your titles between 40 and 49 characters long

40-49 character length titles get the utmost number of post views overall.

ii. Make your posts on LinkedIn visual! Add 8 images

You should have at least one image in your post. Adding 8 pictures when you publish on
LinkedIn is related to a more noteworthy number of LinkedIn shares, likes, remarks, and views.
Ensure that 1 of those 8 pictures is at the starting point of the post. Numerous individuals add a
picture for the absolute starting point to go about as a kind of header picture.

iii. Don’t add videos or other multimedia assets to your posts

32
Images are not the single aesthetics you can add to your posts. LinkedIn additionally permits you
to incorporate multimedia resources. Sadly, the information demonstrates that the addition of
multimedia resources is related to fewer post views. Be careful about adding them to your posts.

iv. Use "How-to" and List-Style Headlines

A headline can brand or break a LinkedIn blog post. Headlines are frequently considered the
most significant part of a blog post. Websites like Buzz Feed and Up Worthy have constructed
their business around creating content with headlines that attract click-through. A good headline
can make or break down a post when you post on LinkedIn.

v. Divide your post into 5 headings to attract the greatest number of post views

Using headings (H1, H2, H3 tags, etc.) to breakdown your post into simply understandable
sections will help your post perform

vi. People like to read long-form content on LinkedIn—1,900 to 2,000 words long

On average, the lengthier the post, the better. Post with huge word counts performs well.

Posts between 1900 and 2000 words achieve the best and gain the greatest number of post
views, LinkedIn likes LinkedIn comments and LinkedIn Shares.

vii. Don’t get your audience all fired up

Posts are written in language reflecting a positive sentiment that tends to get the most LinkedIn
shares and likes. However, neutral language posts incline to see more comments and post
views than both positive and negative feelings.

viii. Promote your LinkedIn publisher post on other social networks!

If you are preparing to use other social networks to endorse your LinkedIn published post, which
you should, Tweets have the utmost association to LinkedIn success metrics.

17. Cultivating network on LinkedIn

Once you have a complete and up-to-date profile that is accurate, relevant, and convincing, it’s
time to start using LinkedIn for networking. 

33
With that in mind, it is time to shape your network. There are four key ways to do it:

i. Reach out
ii. Accept connection requests
iii. Connect to people who are suggested by LinkedIn
iv. Use groups Preview

Start by the addition of everyone in your professional life as a connection. You can connect your
email account and your Phone contacts to make this easier.

i. Reach out

When you are reaching out, evoke to customize the request as an alternative of using the
unimaginative “I’d like to add you to my network.” You can even customize requests when using
the LinkedIn mobile app. Here is how:

 While you are at your invitee’s profile, click on the three dots in the upper right (don does
not use the connect button).
 Select “Personalize Invite.”
 Write a custom note, and then click to send.
ii. Accept connection requests

Know your standards for accepting requests (and remember what you miss if you are a closed
networker). LinkedIn alarms you when you have requested. Get in the routine of accepting them
soon after receiving them.

iii. Connect to people who are suggested by LinkedIn

LinkedIn has an algorithm that assists identify “people you may know,” who might be valued to
add to your network. Evaluate the suggestions frequently and connect as appropriate. Your
network will produce significantly over time.

iv. Use groups

Groups are the utmost influential networking feature on LinkedIn. Why? Because they bounce
you access to enormous numbers of persons who are all interested in the similar topics you are.
And LinkedIn permits you to link up to 100 groups. Research a diversity of groups and joint the

34
ones that are inhabited by your target audience members. You can join groups associated with
your area of thought-leadership, social causes, alumni, etc. Look for groups that have lots of
followers and lots of activity.

17.1 Nurture Your Network

Adding people to your network would not help you form a relationship with them. You need to
involve with them frequently. Here’s how:

 Provide status updates on a fixed routine. It retains you visible to the people in your
brand community.
 Like and comment on LinkedIn posts that you think are valued, and share the posts with
your connections and other groups you belong to.
 Share content you catch at other sites – like Fast Company or Forbes or Huffington Post –
which you think would be appreciated. When sharing, remember to improve content
saying why you think it is valuable and expressing your point of view.

18. Commenting, Liking and sharing of LinkedIn Posts

Let’s discuss the basic mechanics of how to like and share content. But what happens when you
perform these actions? Is one way better than the other?

18.2 How Your LinkedIn Feed is Determined?

The most very elementary way that can explain how your LinkedIn feed is determined is this:
LinkedIn wants to display content to its users that is high-quality and appropriate to their
interests. Likes, shares, and comments act as indications to LinkedIn that content is good.

Let's examine what likes and shares look like, how they're analogous, and how they perform
differently in your LinkedIn news feed.

18.3 LinkedIn Likes and Shares

One of the major differences among a like and a share is that with alike, you are passing along
your approval without comment. With a share, you have the aptitude to give your comment and
to even @mention people you want to see the post.

35
Here is a great visual comparison:

 Example of LinkedIn like

When content is only liked, you don't have the capacity to pass along some comments.

A big benefit when liking, especially for the original post, is that a liked post will pass along the
social activity of the original post. Your connections who like the post that you liked will be
adding alike to the original content. (Note the 47 likes on the above "liked" post versus the 3
likes on the shared post below.)

 Example of a LinkedIn Share

36
As you can see, these look similar. But in the share, a comment is passed along with the post.
This permits the person sharing to @mention someone, such as in the example above, in which
the author of the piece receives a shout-out.

It also lets you enhance your thoughts on the article that you are sharing: why someone should
read the article, your overall opinion on the piece, why you found it helpful, etc. 

19. Publish Articles on LinkedIn

In business and life, you are what you represent to people. Professionally, this means if you are a
skillful doctor/lawyer/banker/marketer/entrepreneur, you need to show people what makes you
an expert doctor/lawyer/banker/marketer/entrepreneur.

You do not wait for people to inquire. You take the lead. It is called thought leadership for a
reason. One way to be a thought leader is to write about what you know in articles that you
publish to LinkedIn.

19.1  Start on your home page

Where do you write the article? Go to your home page, not your profile. At the very top, you will
see where you can share an update or "Write an article;" click on that.

37
19.2  Give your article a headline

Before you write the article, think about the headline. You want a comprehensive yet concise
thought, not a label. A label would be "teachers and class pets." A headline would be
"How teachers use class pets to promote STEM learning."

You also want to tell the reader what they can be supposed to gain. Say you are a career coach
and you want to write about the top mistakes people make in job interviews. A great headline
might be: "The top 5 job interview mistakes -- and how to avoid them."

19.3  Find art for your article

Next, I like to plug in the art for my articles. Some people might favor writing their story first,
but I find having art in place gets me in a good writing channel. You might have a flawless
photo, but if you do not, do not worry. To find royalty-free photos on a variety of subjects, go to
Unsplash.com or Pixabay.com.

19.4 Write your article

Write your article, making sure you convey what your headline promises. Note: Your headline
might change during the writing process, and that's OK and even a good thing.

Aim for no longer than 1,000 words. As far as length, keeping to 500-700 is generally best. If
you find your article is much longer, think about how you can break it up into altered thoughts --
and get more articles as a result. Hyperlinks to other articles can also help you keep your word
count in check. You don't have to describe a scientific or market study or the New York Times
story in full. Rather, you can link to outside reading for those who want to dive deeper into your
subject matter.

19.5 Drop-in subheads

You want people to read your article, so make sure does not look long and devastating. Drop-in
subheads to break up long stretches of gray text. Imagine how this column would look if the
different tips ran together versus being set off by bolded and numbered subheads.

38
19.6 Edit your article

Now it's time to edit your article. I recommend stepping away from it for a day or at least a few
hours after writing. Note that you can save your article in drafts, and it won't appear to your
network until you hit "publish." When you sit down with fresh eyes to edit, I encourage you to
read your article out loud; that's always how I find mistakes like dropped words and grammar
goofs. 

19.7 Publish and socialize your article.

You are ready to publish your article. Hit publish. Congratulations. But you're not finished
yet. LinkedIn will prompt you to share what you wrote with your connections. Just write a post
like you would when you share other articles on LinkedIn and Facebook. Use hashtags to capture
the attention of those who follow certain terms like "career development" or "resumes."

19.8 Link your article to your profile.

You want to sure connections can always find your article, so copy and paste the link to your
profile. Think of it like how you can pin a tweet to the top of your Twitter account. On LinkedIn,
there are two places where you can "pin" articles -- at the bottom of your summary story and to
individual jobs. Just click to edit those areas and you will see a "Media" section and hyperlink to
link your article. You will see a thumbnail of the art you chose for your story. When people click
on this image, they will be taken to your story. Nice, right?

20. LinkedIn premium accounts and their benefits

 Signing up for LinkedIn is free, and many functions are open to all account holders, so you can
take advantage of most of the opportunities that LinkedIn offers. You can pay a monthly fee for a
premium account to get additional functions or communication options. Finally, tailored
solutions are available for corporations that want to use LinkedIn as a source for hiring quality
candidates.

20.1 Free versus paid LinkedIn accounts

There’s not much difference between a free account and a paid account on LinkedIn. And the
basic account is anything but basic in usage.

39
Your free account with LinkedIn allows you to use most of LinkedIn’s most popular features,
including

 Building a network of connections with no limits on size or numbers

 Reconnecting with any member of the LinkedIn network, provided that he knows you
and agrees to connect to you
 Creating a professional and detailed LinkedIn profile
 Giving and receiving an unlimited number of recommendations
 Joining or creating up to 50 different LinkedIn Groups
 Requesting up to five introductions at one time (after someone accepts an introduction,
you can request a new introduction in its place)
 Performing an unlimited number of searches for LinkedIn members in your extended
network

If you want to step up to a paid account, some of the main features include:

 Sending a message to anyone in the LinkedIn community — regardless of whether she is

in your extended network — through an InMail messaging service
 Sending more introductions than the basic account allows
 Viewing more LinkedIn profile information of people not in your LinkedIn network
when you conduct advanced searches
 Seeing more LinkedIn network profile information when you conduct advanced searches
 Seeing exactly who has viewed your profile and how they arrived at your profile
 Performing a reference check on someone
 Obtaining membership in the Open Link program, which gives you unlimited Open Link
messages

20.2 Types of Premium accounts

LinkedIn also offers several paid membership levels.

These are the current plans in USD when paid monthly (less when paid annually):

 Premium Career: $29.99/month

 Premium Business: $59.99/month

40
  Sales Navigator Professional: $79.99/month
 Recruiter Lite: $119.99/month

20.3 Benefits of premium accounts

If you use LinkedIn to find, connect and build relationships with your leads or prospects, you
may find that the free version of LinkedIn limits your efforts.

But is LinkedIn Premium worth the investment?

 Extended LinkedIn Network Access

Perhaps the most useful feature you get with LinkedIn Premium is the Extended LinkedIn
Network Access, which removes the search limitations of the Commercial Use Limits of the free
accounts.

If you use LinkedIn’s Advanced Search to find and connect with prospects, the Commercial Use
Limits can greatly hinder your efforts. With the Premium membership, you will not lose access
to search results partway through the month, which will negatively affect your lead generation
capabilities.

Activities LinkedIn counts towards the Commercial Use Limits include:

 Searching for LinkedIn profiles on LinkedIn.com and the mobile app

 Browsing LinkedIn profiles using the People Also Viewed section located on the right
rail of a profile.

Activities that do not count toward the limit include:

 Searching profiles by name using the search box located at the top of every page on
LinkedIn.com
 Browsing your 1st-degree connections from the Connections page
 Searching for jobs on the Jobs page
 In Mail

If you want to send a message directly to someone you are not connected to (and with whom you
don’t share a group), you must send them an In Mail.

41
Mail messages can be useful when you want to message a prospect before you send them a
connection request or when they haven’t accepted your connection request. Sending an In Mail,
particularly to an in-demand decision-maker, is a great way to establish an initial connection,
without that person feeling they are obligated to accept an invitation to connect with someone
they don’t know.

 Who’s Viewed My Profile

You can find an outstanding source of new leads in the Who’s Viewed My Profile section.

This section lists all the people who have viewed your profile over the last 90 days (you can see
only the last five people with a free account).

At the top of the page, you will see a graph showing you how many people are viewing your
profile each week. This can help you spot increases or decreases of traffic to your account. When
you see an increase, figure out what activities you did that week that could have caused the
increase, and then do that activity more regularly to increase the number of people viewing your
profile.

 Open Profile & Gold Badge

Open Profile is a great feature of LinkedIn Premium as it gives you the option to allow
people outside your network to send you a message.

This can be a significant benefit to you as a Premium subscriber if you are using LinkedIn for
lead generation. InMails can be costly, and in most cases, prospects won’t pay to message
you. Open Profile removes a key barrier between you and the prospects outside your 1st level
network.

When you have the Open Profile feature, LinkedIn members not connected to you will see an
easy way to send you a message in the Highlights box, below your profile card at the top of your
LinkedIn profile.

 LinkedIn Learning

Another little-known benefit of LinkedIn Premium is the access it gives you to over 13,000
courses created by industry experts on LinkedIn Learning and Lynda.com.

42
LinkedIn collects and analyzes the skills and jobs data to identify emerging training trends and
needs. It then uses that data to create new high-quality courses to keep its library fresh with
dozens of courses added every week.

You will find courses in the business, technology, and creative categories. Business courses will
help you sharpen your leadership, communication, digital transformation skills, etc.

21. Mistakes to Avoid on LinkedIn

Social networking is taking lots of work, time and effort. Here are ten essential do’s and don’ts
to help you build LinkedIn relationships and get the most value out of your time.

21.1 Don’t use canned invitations

Nothing says “You’re not worth a few extra seconds of my time” quite like the all-too-familiar
“I’d like to add you to my professional network” message.

Here are a few tips for keeping invitations efficient but personal:

 Keep it short when you can.

 Make sure you know whether the person is already a LinkedIn member.
 If the contact isn’t already a member, offer to help with the registration process.
 You can still personalize a batch of invitations.
21.2 Don’t expect everyone to network as you do

Setting rigid networking expectations can be a source of needless frustration and can prevent you
from building relationships with some pretty great people. Here are some of the common issues
that arise:

 Different people have different standards for connecting

 People might have perfectly good reasons not to allow other people to browse their
LinkedIn connections list
 Not everyone responds on time
 Some people are bad with names
 Relationships aren’t always reciprocal
 Not everyone networks just to network

43
21.3 Don’t spam
One person’s networking is another person’s spam. There are plenty of ways to use LinkedIn
productively without getting a bad rep as a spammer. Here are some basic rules of etiquette:

 Don’t post marketing messages or connection-seeking messages as Status Updates.

 Don’t automatically subscribe to your connections to your newsletter.
 Don’t send connection requests to people you don’t know.

21.4 Don’t confuse quantity with quality

Just because you’re doing a lot of something doesn’t mean you’re doing something well. If you
want to track your real progress using LinkedIn, use metrics that you know directly tie to
business results, such as

 Leads generated
 Joint venture/strategic partner prospects generated
 Qualified job candidates contacted
 Potential employers successfully contacted
 Interviews scheduled
 Speaking opportunities garnered
 Publicity opportunities created

44